This application relates generally to a turbine seal and damper assembly and, more particularly, to a stiffer seal and damper assembly.
Gas turbine engines, such as those that power modern commercial and military aircraft, generally include a compressor to pressurize an airflow, a combustor to burn a hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of the pressurized air, and a turbine to extract energy from the resultant combustion gases.
The turbine section includes rotatable turbine blade and stationary turbine vane arrays. Each of the turbine blades is spaced apart from an adjacent turbine blade to accommodate movement and expansion during operation. The turbine blades typically each include a root that attaches to the rotor, a platform and an airfoil that extends radially outwardly from the platform.
Hot combustion gases that flow over the platform are prevented from leaking between adjacent turbine blades by a seal as components below the platform are generally not designed to operate for extended durations exposed to the elevated temperatures of the hot combustion gases. In addition to the seal, a damper between adjacent turbine blades dissipates vibration through frictional contact between the damper and an underplatform surface of the turbine blade platform.
When a ratio between the airfoil tip deflections and platform deflections are high, however, the platform damper may be placed close to the underplatform and the seal passes through the damper. Although effective in historical damping systems, the damper stiffness may not be sufficient for certain engine architectures.